I will be working in downton London, a few blocks west of the St. Paul's tube stop.

My company is recommending I stay at the Club Quarters St. Paul's, which is a 2-3 block walk to my office.

I would like to stay at the Marriott West India Quay because 1)I would get marriott points 2)it got very good reviews, and 3) has a lounge for breakfast (I have gold status)

However, it seems out of the way - ~5 mile drive according to google maps altho I will not be driving. According to reviews, it's a nice area and very close to the tube (dlr?), brand new property. From what I can tell on the tube map, the West India Quay stop is 4 stops away + 1 transfer + 1 additional stop. Plus, it's 30 gbp/night cheaper (but I'd have to book it today)

Will my commute be a pain? Would you recommend I just stick with Club Qtrs, or will I be fine at the Marriott?

Yes it is out of the way - in the time it'll take you to get from office to hotel you could have spent half an hour in the British Museum or had a walk across the Thames and be in the Tate Modern - or caught a service at St Paul's itself.

Then if you want to do anything else - you'd have to head back into town and of course have to get back once you've finished.

So why not have a hotel that is on the doorstep of both your work and most of what London can offer

Thanks alanRow.

I've heard others say it's a "15 minute ride" to downtown and that the hotel is very close to the DLR entrance. When I look at the tube map it looks pretty close by. Tripadvisor reviews say there are a lot of nice shops/restaurants in the area.

Then again, I don't know London well at all and having lived in nyc in the past, I know that taking public transport, esp with transfers can take a lot longer than you would think.

From what I can tell, the DLR ride would be West India Quay - Westferry - Limehouse - Shadwell - Bank - then either walk .5 miles or xfer to the Red line for 1 stop to St. Paul's.

It sounds like it's probably too much trouble and too far out of the way?

One other factor to take into account - commuters.

Given the choice of fighting my way onto & off a train or strolling to the hotel just round the corner, I'd know which one I'd pick

It also means you can do things like nip back to the hotel for a quick spruce up or to drop/pickup something without having to plan a major expedition.

It may be only 10 minutes between Bank & West India Quay but then you add on the walking at either end and pretty soon you have an hour round trip compared to 10 minutes by staying at a more local hotel

hi tjhsu,

the st. paul's area is not what most londoners would think of as "downtown" Lodon. in fact, they don't think of anywhere in london like that, but were they to do so, the oxford street area or "west end" would be closest to what you are imagining.

the st. paul's area is pretty quiet at night and at the weekend, but at least you won't have too far to go to work.

if you need convincing, have a look at the marriott's web-site and explore near-by attractions. unless you are a dedicated tourist, and/or taking a young family, there's not much to do apart from the tower and HMS Belfast! and southwark and newham [not heard of them as prime tourist venues - there's a good reason for that].

if you don't mind a bit of commuting [and how else will you get to know what it's really like to live in London?] why not stay nearer the action, and get your points at one of the other 21 marriots in London. you should be able to find at least one that is further west [where you would want to be IMO] AND on a direct tube/bus route to your office.

good luck,

regards, ann

For the British football followers here the west India Marriot is the hotel behind the spur's "Lasagnagate" episode (although it was exonerated).

The area it's in is a bit of a dormitory dessert. There's not much going on there in the evenings and at weekends. In any case if you're working in finance (I'm guessing) all your socialising with colleagues (something that will come as a bit of a culture shock to you if this is your first time) will be in the City and then you'd have to schlep out to Docklands.

Also taxi drivers hate going there after about 8 o'clock as they can't get return fares.

Yes, the Marriott is more or less on top of West India Quay DLR station.

Yes, there is a mass of restaurants and bars along West India Quay itself and around the CW estate, but they tend to be full of people relaxing from a busy day funding hedges and collateralising derivatives or whatever it is financial people do, and faffing about dealing with all the consequential legalities. Not my sort of people. There is a multiplex cinema within walking distance, and the Museum of Docklands. And lots and lots of shiny steel and glass offices and expensive flats - a mini Montreal/Shanghai/Manhattan.

Yes, you would, all things being well, be at Bank station within about 15 minutes by DLR.

However, there are major escalator repairs going on at Bank, which is leading TfL to warn people to find other routes, so any interchange to either the Central Line or a bus to St Paul's is likely to be tiresome:
http://tinyurl.com/5j49l6

Personally, I'd rather walk to work, and explore the area from St Paul's down to Blackfriars (some nice pubs and restaurants down there).

What Patrick said.

Plus: what's the point of staying in a not very glorified shopping mall in exactly the same hotel you'd be in in Dubai or Columbus Ohio, when you can be in the middle of a Roman city? True, Hitler, the Vikings and a few other misfits have knocked it about a bit over the past 2000 years, and the nightlife's a bit restricted: you need to go up west from St Paul's to do most things. But the street pattern's still Roman or at worst medieval, and when the forex dealers go off to score a few lines at night, you've got the most glorious urban walking on the planet at your apartment front door.

Not to mention breakfast joints that serve real food, and not the mimsy sugared bread that passes for food out in the Canary Wharf sticks.

This really is a no-brainer, unless you're letting Marriott points rule your life.

The escalator work at Bank affects the interchange between Bank and Monument Stations; the tfl website says that it's OK between Bank DLR and Bank tube lines.

As a local, I think that the transport links from the Marriot are good. You could get on a 277 or D7 bus to Mile End, and then catch the Central Line to St Pauls. Or you could get on the DLR to Bank and then change to St Pauls or walk to your office from Bank.

Canary Wharf is a little like Logan's Run - there appears to be few people working there who are aged over 30. Apart from the shops, bars and restaurants at Canary Wharf and West India Quay, the DLR links to Greenwich (get off at Cutty Sark) which has historic sights and lots more pubs, bars and restaurants.

If staying at the Marriott, try to get a room overlooking the River Thames and high up. On the other side of the hotel is a busy road.

I should say, I wrote as someone who lives near Canary Wharf, passes through there every day and shops there every Saturday. It's fine for me, but it's up to you whether what you save on bills makes up for the extra commute.

Club Quarters is ok, rooms are slightly on a small scale but the location is superb, esp from your office (Is it ML you'll be at?).

Don't know how much flexibility your company's travel policy allows, but Renaissance Chancery near Holborn is superb alternative. Excellent service, good location (2 stops on the tube), and closer to Soho for better dining/theatre options.

West India Quay IS out of the way. Commuting from Dockland/Canary Wharf to the City is not impossible, but not quite as convenient as you think. People who stay there tend to work in Canary Wharf. Also the morning traffic on taxi can get a bit heavy along Commercial Rd (a part of main road that connects CW and the City). You can still connect between Central Line and Dodgy Local Rollercoaster at Bank station, but frankly it's a lot of going thru narrow passage and up and down the stairs so take as much time as walking 1 stop from Bank to St Paul's.

I used to work in the City before moving to West End (no I'm not in HF) but we really didn't hang around EC2/3/4 after work, aside from having a drink or so. For lunch, there is a lovely veggie restaurant called the Place Below on Cheapside (basement of St Mary's le Bow church). I also like Leadenhall Market--quite lively during the lunchtime. North of St Paul's--more like Farringdon but Smiths of Smithfield is a good steakhouse/restaurant, I believe they do heavy-duty proper british breakfast.